Mischer back for Emmycast

ATAS pres confident the telecast will 'raise the bar'

For the fifth time, Don Mischer will be executive producing the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Emmy Awards.

ATAS president Meryl Marshall called last year’s 50th annual Emmy show “a tremendous ratings success” and said she felt “confident that under Don’s guidance this year’s telecast will raise the bar yet again.”

The 1998 show garnered a 13.6 rating and 23 share.

Mischer said “while there’s a lot of mediocre work on television, on Emmy night you get to see the best of what’s on TV. And there’s a lot on TV that’s damn good.”

While last year’s 50th anniversary show ran four hours, this year’s show will return to the normal three. Mischer said 1999’s will be a more traditional Emmy show than in 1998.

In regards to nominations, Mischer predicts that “you’re probably going to see a lot of new faces” from first- and second-year shows that are drawing large audiences. “It’s going to be a new horse race,” he said.

Mischer’s credits include the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall, as well as producing the Tony Awards three times.

The 51st annual primetime Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 12 in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium. The show will be broadcast on Fox.